After Shen Zhiyi finished speaking, the entire hall fell into a deathly silence.
Emperor Xiaoxuan stared intently at her, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "Shen Zhiyi, what makes you say such a thing?"
"Today I went to the place where the Prince is being held at the Dali Temple to visit him, but on my way back I was ambushed and attacked. And the person who tried to assassinate me was actually a constable from the Dali Temple. I am very curious..."
"Who on earth has such great ability to infiltrate the Dali Temple without making a sound?"
"They even dared to assassinate the Regent's Consort in broad daylight!"
The Empress Dowager frowned: "Assassination? No wonder you have blood on you. Are you injured?"
Shen Zhiyi shook her head, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty, but I am fine."
Most importantly, she added another sentence:
"The person who assassinated me said..."
“The one who wanted to take my life was a noblewoman in the palace. I had just entered the royal family when my husband got into trouble, and I was ambushed and killed. This matter concerns the royal family. I beg Your Majesty to do justice for me.”
After these words were spoken, the hall fell into an eerie silence.
Those ministers, however, subconsciously glanced at the crown prince.
The crown prince was equally horrified.
After His Majesty was attacked, he took charge of all government affairs, and the Court of Judicial Review was also under his jurisdiction.
"Crown Prince?" Emperor Xiaoxuan's gaze swept over Zhou Yuanbi, making his scalp tingle. He immediately stood in the hall and said, "Father, I know nothing about this."
Shen Muzhi questioned in a deep voice, "Your Highness, you are in charge of the Regent's case. My younger sister was assassinated by the yamen runners, and you claimed to know nothing about it. Can I understand that if the Regent were to be assassinated and die suddenly one day, you would also claim to know nothing?"
"Captain Shen, are you questioning the prince?" the crown prince roared.
"I only want to seek the truth, why should the Crown Prince be angry?"
When it came to his younger sister's safety, Shen Muzhi retorted directly, showing no fear whatsoever.
The Crown Prince gritted his teeth and looked at Emperor Xiaoxuan. “Father, I really don’t know anything about this. I beg you to give me some time to investigate. I will definitely give Shen… and Aunt an explanation.”
"Zhou Yuanbi!" Emperor Xiaoxuan glared at him coldly. "I entrusted you with the administration of the state, and this is how you manage it!"
A furious rebuke startled the Crown Prince, who immediately knelt down, pleading, "Father, please calm your anger."
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is young and it's his first time taking charge of state affairs. He also has to take good care of your health, so it's inevitable that he will have some oversights, which is why the thieves took advantage of the situation," the Empress suddenly said.
The crown prince nodded immediately and looked at the empress with gratitude.
Since the Third Prince was stripped of his title and sent to the Imperial Clan Court, the Empress has been kind to everyone.
Emperor Xiaoxuan was relieved to see that the Crown Prince and the Crown Prince, who used to be at odds, now got along harmoniously.
"The Crown Prince lacks experience and needs Your Majesty's careful guidance."
“This incident was definitely an accident, so why are you so harsh on him? You have just recovered and you need to take care of your health.”
Emperor Xiaoxuan nodded, "The Empress has become increasingly righteous lately."
As he spoke, he looked at Shen Zhiyi and said, "Zhiyi, don't worry, I will have the Crown Prince give you an explanation for this matter."
Explain?
Shen Zhiyi sneered inwardly.
As expected, once the royal family is involved, the emperor always tries to downplay the matter and will eventually send out a scapegoat.
Before she could speak, the Empress slowly said, "Zhiyi, I remember you beat the drum to appeal for justice for your husband? You said that the assassination attempt on His Majesty was not his doing. Why do you say that?"
"Because the people who assassinated me were the same group of people!"
After Shen Zhiyi finished speaking, Emperor Xiaoxuan's expression suddenly changed drastically. "What did you say?"
"Those yamen runners also had poison hidden under their tongues. If the imperial physicians can test them, they can find out if it's the same poison. If it's the same group of people, the regent has already been detained and is guarded by people every day. How could he have ordered someone to assassinate his own wife?"
As they were talking, Shen Muzhi had already ordered the two captured constables to be brought to the palace.
The two who had just fallen unconscious have been forcibly awakened.
Upon seeing the noble person in the hall, he was instantly terrified and trembled, kneeling on the ground and remaining silent.
“Your Majesty, this is the assassin I captured alive,” Shen Muzhi said.
"Speak! Who exactly sent you to assassinate the Regent's Consort!" Emperor Xiaoxuan roared, causing the two men to tremble with fear.
"I...I don't know."
"You bastards, it seems you won't tell the truth unless you're tortured!" With a single glance from Emperor Xiaoxuan, the tall and imposing attendant ordered the two men to be taken away and interrogated.
“Your Majesty, why don’t you let me do it?” Shen Muzhi said frankly.
While in the army, he also learned some methods of interrogating prisoners.
He was tall and strong, and after obtaining the emperor's consent, he dragged the two of them out of the palace like he was carrying chicks, one in each hand. The tall man then called for the guards to assist him.
result,
Shen Muzhi immediately gagged the two of them.
One kick,
Stepping on one of the men's arms, the clear sound of bones cracking echoed eerily in the quiet imperial city.
The man's mouth was covered, preventing him from making a sound. He was in so much pain that he was covered in cold sweat. As his fingers were being broken one by one, the other assassin was terrified.
"Captain Shen, aren't you going to interrogate him?" a guard asked.
"No trial."
Shen Muzhi chuckled, "I think they're very stubborn, and I definitely won't get anything out of them, so I don't want to waste my energy. Since they're unwilling to talk anyway, why don't we..."
Cut out their tongues!
"Be careful, don't kill him."
Subsequently,
The assassin, who had not yet been tortured, could only watch helplessly as his comrade had his tongue cut out right before his eyes.
They even severed the tendons in his hands and feet.
At that moment, the air was thick with the smell of blood. When Shen Muzhi glanced over, he could vaguely smell a foul odor. When his gaze moved down, he saw that there was a wet patch on his crotch.
A light drizzle fell beneath my feet.
He urinated.
He looked at Shen Muzhi, shook his head repeatedly, knelt down and kowtowed. When the gag was removed, he said, "I... I'll tell you everything, please spare my life."
"Change his pants, don't offend the nobleman's eyes." Shen Muzhi's gaze swept over his crotch.
When the assassin re-entered the hall, his hands and feet were weak.
"Your Majesty... I, your humble servant, will certainly speak without reservation."
Shen Zhiyi looked at her second brother in surprise, not knowing that he had such methods.
Shen Muzhi smiled at her.
His expression was somewhat smug.
Emperor Xiaoxuan glared at him angrily, "Then tell me, who exactly ordered you to assassinate the Regent's Consort!"
"Yes, yes..."
As the assassin spoke, his gaze swept over everyone in the hall.
at last,
The image was frozen on the crown prince.
The main hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; an indescribable deathly stillness permeated the air.
All eyes were on the Crown Prince, whose face was deathly pale, as he was still recovering from poisoning.
Shen Zhiyi suspected that the assassins who killed His Majesty and her were the same group of people.
Once it is confirmed that the Crown Prince was the one who assassinated her.
Who was it that murdered His Majesty? ...
Even if he is the crown prince, so what?
They will still be executed!
Suddenly, someone announced: "Your Majesty, the Duke of Zhenguo and the young master are requesting an audience outside the palace."
Emperor Xiaoxuan's expression was stern. "Summon them!"
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